The Sabin Vaccine Institute is on a mission not only to bring vaccines for neglected tropical diseases (NTD) to residents of some of the world's poorest countries, but also to help nurture world peace. Peter J. Hotez, president of the institute and research professor at George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, characterizes the institute's mission as "vaccine diplomacy," noting that the U.S. has an unprecedented opportunity to improve relations with Islamic nations by helping to ease the burden of disease in those countries.